Fate - Eternity's Wind
by Saithis
Summary: After years of long peace, the Grail War has found its resurgence in the northern Japanese city of Sendai. A proud young woman of a lost lineage of Magi seeks out her family's past while trapped in a deadly war of Masters and Servants. As each Master seeks to achieve the Grail for their own ends, a shadow falls over Sendai and Angra Mainyu watches from afar, waiting for its chance.
1. Prologue: -66d, 8h, 55m

**Prologue  
****_Fate/Eternity's Wind_****: -66d, 8h, 55m**  
**Kobayashi Mansion, Sendai, Japan**

Masumi's heart pounded in her chest as she slammed the door shut behind her, sliding both latches into place and turning the lock. She slumped to the ground, gasping for air with each laboured breath. Evening sun trickled in through the windows, illuminating the old family library of the Kobayashi mansion.

"No time to lose..." she pulled herself up by the doorknob. "It won't take him long to find me. I need to figure out some kind of defence."

She pulled out her old ornate hairpin, quickly twisting her hair up into a knot to keep it out of her face while she worked. Moving to the table in the center of the room, she cast aside stray books until she found the one she had been looking for: _Einzelheiten des Heiligen Gral Krieg_, a German volume bound in ancient leather and iron. Sweeping aside a large enough space for it, she sat down at the table and set her mind to study.

Thanks to the bookmark, she quickly opened to the page on summoning rituals and Servants. This ancient tome detailed a war, some kind of immensely powerful and ancient war in which seven magi would summon seven heroic spirits to do battle. A year ago, this book had been little more than an amusing fantasy, yet now it may hold the key to her survival. Someone was coming for her life, someone too powerful to fight, and she needed a servant - now.

A cold sensation hit her, like liquid ice being poured through her spine. Someone had broken through the barrier she had established over the mansion - by force, no less. He was close, she had no time left to dawdle. Spilling the ingredients held into her bag over the table, she hurriedly began to create a summoning circle on the floor, as detailed in the book. There were decorations and sacrifices and-

**CRACK!**

The telltale sound of the front door shattering echoed through the house. She didn't have much longer, he would certainly be able to hear her once the ritual started. There was no time for sacrifices, she would have to hope this worked without it. Standing before the circle with her arms raised in the air, she began to speak.

_"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill!  
Repeat five times,  
But destroy each when filled,  
A base of silver and steel!"_

A silence fell over the mansion and the summoning circle began to glow faintly blue, indicating the recognition of the magic spell.

_"I hereby propose:_  
_My will shall create thy body,_  
_And thy sword shalt create my fate,_  
_Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,_  
_If thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!"_

Even through her chant, the sound of heavy footfalls could be heard approaching the door. Her pursuit was getting close.

_"I hereby swear,_  
_I will be all that is good in this world,_  
_I will be the disposer of evil in the world!"_

Her chant was nearly completed. Someone was fumbling at the door, trying to open it. There was a snapping sound as the doorknob was twisted off from the other side.

_"Thou, clad with the Great Trinity,"_

The door creaked and groaned as it was pushed open a bit before catching the chain latches that had sealed it shut.

_"Come forth from the circle of constraint,"_

The door shattered and flew across the room, arcing over Masumi's head to crash into one of the many bookshelves lining the walls. An explosion of dust and smoke sent splinters and shredded books flying through the room, each illuminated by the luminous aura generated by the summoning.

_"Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"_ she screamed to complete the ritual.

A huge frame of a man stepped through the door just as the bright, intense light of the summoning enveloped the room. Masumi scrambled backwards through the dust and chaos, bumping into the legs of someone standing behind her. Yelping in fear, she looked up behind her to see the vaguely obscured outline of someone, still glowing with heavenly energies after the summoning.

"Are you my master?"


	2. Kobayashi Masumi: -68d, 12h, 44m

**Chapter 01**  
**_Fate/Eternity's Wind: _-68d, 12h, 44m  
********Geography**, Sendai Senior High School, **Sendai, Japan**

"Miss Kobayashi!" the teacher's voice snapped like a whip.

Masumi froze - she had been caught and that there would be no way she could wiggle her way out of this one.

"Miss Kobayashi, I'm sure whatever it is you have to talk about is very important, much more than my lessons."

"I just-"

"No, no, please, I was only trying to teach the class the fundamentals of your next exam topic. I do hope you'll forgive me for interrupting your chit-chat."

"It's-"

"Hush now, Miss Kobayashi. I completely understand. In fact, just to make sure my lessons don't interrupt your ever-so-important conversation again, please, why don't you take the buckets outside until the lesson is over."

Masumi held her head in her hands and groaned a little, catching the faint sound of stifled laughter from a few kids. She wasn't the only person in the conversation, why should she be singled out and punished?

"Now, Miss Kobayashi." The teacher's stern gaze bored through her.

* * *

**_Fate/Eternity's Wind: _-68d, 12h, 36m  
****Halls, Sendai Senior High School, ****Sendai, Japan**

Masumi's shoulders were on fire, burning almost as intensely as the rose of her cheeks. It was the first time she had been punished in such a way; she wasn't a weak girl, kendo club in her youth and tennis club had seen to that, but she had to wait for another fifteen minutes before the lesson finished. '_It's easy to underestimate how much a bucket of water weighs when you weren't holding one,_' she thought to herself.

Footsteps echoed through the halls and someone rounded the corner, walking alone with a confident pace. The familiar, messy tussle of purple hair and self-assuredness couldn't be mistaken for anyone else - Masumi's face turned bright red and she looked away, hoping he would be too engrossed in his book to notice her.

"Masumi?"

It was hopeless - she'd been spotted. Flush with embarrassment, she looked over at him with the best smile she could come up with. "Hi Yuki."

Yuki grinned back at her. "I thought it was you. What'd you do to get sent out here?"

"It doesn't matter...hey, Yuki, aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

He groaned and rolled his eyes at the prospect. Matou Yuki was the elder brother of two sent to Sendai to study; he was an exemplary student, and if Masumi dared say so, a very handsome one at that. Two months earlier he had asked her out, and they had been involved in a slow but steady relationship since - being seen like this in front of him was exceptionally embarrassing to say the least.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Well, I figured I've been doing so well, I can afford to take a break. Something important came up, I need to head home."

"Home?" Masumi asked.

"Yeah, don't worry, it's no big deal." He smiled at her and waved his hand.

She opened her mouth to say something, but it was quickly forgotten at the sight of his hand. It was wrapped in bandages quite tightly, extending up and into the sleeve of his shirt. It didn't take more than a moment for him to notice her stare, and he held the hand defensively. "Hey, don't look at me like that, jeez!"

"What happened?!" she blurted out in panic.

"Shh, do you want your teacher to hear you?" Yuki put a finger to his lips. "It's fine, I just dropped a book on my hand and bruised it. I need to get going now, see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, fine..." she muttered as he left.

The remaining minutes of her punishment were torture, and just as she thought her arms would give out, the bell finally rang indicating the end of class - and of the school day. The door of the classroom opened suddenly as students began to pour out, eager to make their way home. Sighing in relief, she set the buckets down the bucket inside the classroom. Mr. Suzuki was sitting at his desk, and hardly paid any attention to her as she returned the objects of her punishment. Taking her chance, she slipped out and rejoined the crowds of departing students.

Two flights of stairs and a few hallways later, she emerged into the warm afternoon sunshine just in time for two people to drape themselves over her. It only took a glance to recognize them as Takenaka Genki and Mori Ayane, the big strapping boy and his girlfriend. Together the three of them had been making trouble for years, but now everything was changing entirely.

"So?" Ayane hinted.

"You promised, Masumi. Today's the day." Genki grinned.

"I did, didn't I?" She sighed. "Well, okay...I guess there's no getting around it. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Are you kidding me? I've been up for this my whole life. Come on, Masumi, I want to see magic! You said you would!" Genki pouted.

"Shhh!" she clapped a hand over his mouth, then looked sternly at the both of them. "No one is supposed to know, remember? It took me all year just to work up the courage to tell you, after I found out, and I get the feeling I'll be in trouble if someone finds out I blabbed."

It was Ayane's turn to pout. "We won't tell anyone, we promise, but let's go already!"

* * *

**_Fate/Eternity's Wind: _-68d, 12h, 36m  
****Kobayashi Mansion, Sendai, Japan  
**

Both stared expectantly at her, like puppies waiting for their well-deserved treats. After a bit of hesitation, she sighed and her shoulders sagged in resignation. The ride through the city was pleasant despite traffic - Masumi's house was hard to find if you didn't know exactly what you were looking for, something which she took a great deal of pride in. Genki and Ayane had been before, of course, but now they expected much more than just a simple weekend sleepover.

"Oooh, it's creepy now..." Genki laughed as they approached.

"I know, like a haunted mansion. Have you ever seen any ghosts, Masumi?"

"No, I've never seen any ghosts. They probably don't even exist." She sighed in exasperation. "This is going to be a very long weekend, isn't it?"

The door to the house swung open as she approached it - a relatively simple charm, but one she had put in place to bypass her issue of frequently forgotten keys. It had been good practice, and since her Magic Circuits had been opened the rate at which she had picked up new Magecraft was impressive enough to her. The old mansion welcomed the trio in like a warm mother; its lights sparked with a blue glow as the magic she had infused into them activated, before the comforting orange warmth filled the house as expected. She could see the awe in her friends' faces as they watched, and the shock that came as the door closed behind them only pleased her.

"It's like I said, guys. Real magic, not just kids' stuff. Come on, I'll show you to the basement."

"What's in the basement?" Ayane looked curious.

Masumi waved her hand dismissively as she led them there. "You'll see."

The cellar was already well-lit for them as they entered it, filled with old wine racks and nothing of particular interest. Placing her hand on the brick behind an empty wine rack, she pressed in and focused her prana, forcing it to channel into the rock. A soft grinding noise echoed throughout the cellar as the secret passage opened up, revealing the treasure trove hiding within. Shelves filled with old books became illuminated by the faint glow spilling in from the cellar, along with sparkling finely-cut gems and a variety of dusty old boxes and strange objects.

"This looks totally freaky..." Genki grinned. "You're like a witch or something, hiding in your secret lair."

"Witches don't hide in secret lairs..." Masumi sniffed disdainfully. "But I guess this is what you could call secret, just not really a lair. It looks like my parents stored all of the magical knowledge they had here, passing it down to me. They probably intended to show it to me when I had grown up a little more..."

Neither friend replied to her as she trailed off, remembering the parents she had never gotten to know. She watched as they marvelled at the books and the collection of antiques, many of which defied anything modern science or industry had created with their complexity and defiance of physics. Atop the bookshelves sat an enormous skull, that of a enormous apelike creature whose head rivalled the size and weight of a normal man's torso. On the workdesk sat a crystal figurine of a unicorn, flowing and changing shape and colour from each angle it was observed. Dangling from the ceiling was a geometric shape so defiant to the mind that it could only be described as akin to the works of the artist Escher, due to its impossibility to create in the standard human four-dimensional worldview.

"This is...all...completely and totally awesome!" Genki gushed.

"Super awesome!" Ayane laughed, looking at all the oddities she could find. "Your parents really left all of this to you? Wow!"

"It seems so." Masumi smiled. "I'm glad you're having fun...I've been studying here for about a year now, and I think I've finally started to master the basics. It's a tricky business, using magic, but once you get used to it it comes kind of naturally, like riding a bike. Only..."

"Only...what?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter, just something I haven't been able to do yet. There's lots of cool things here, though. This is where I got my favourite hair stick."

They looked at her curiously, forcing her to point at the ornate, chopstick-sized metal bar holding her hair neatly behind her head. It was red and gold, slightly chipped along the edges but not a sign of faded paint in the world. She hadn't thought to put a value to it, but given the nature of everything in this room, she was sure it was probably priceless to some.

"That's great!" Ayane smiled and looked at her expectantly.

"...what?" Masumi asked.

"Well?"

"Well what? You have to be more descriptive."

"When are you going to teach us magic? I want to learn too!"

Masumi sighed; this was the question she was least looking forward to, and the answer she had rehearsed the most.

"It might not be that easy. You see, only people who were born with Magic Circuits can use magecraft, and I can't tell if you were or not."

"Magic...circuits?" Genki blinked at the strange words.

"Yes. Think of them as being like a second circulatory system tied to your soul. You're born with them, and the size and number of magic circuits dictate how much prana - that's magical energy - you can channel at any point in time."

"So if we weren't born with it..."

"Then you can't do it." Masumi frowned.

Ayane smiled. "Well, how do we tell if we were or not?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. Well, I could try getting you to do some spells, maybe exposure to magic could wake up dormant circuits you might have, but if that doesn't work..."

Genki sighed at her. "Then we're not magical?"

"If it doesn't work, then either you're not magical, or I'm incapable of granting you magic. Either way, there won't be much I can do for you here."

"We won't know until we try, will we?" Ayane opened a random book, peering at the pages curiously. "What kind of spells did you start with? I can't read any of these."

"Nothing very complicated. Well, I still can't do anything complicated. Come on, we'll start at the beginning..." She took the book from Ayane's hands and put it back on the shelf.

Before they could say anything else, Masumi closed her eyes and entered a deep state of focus. A single orb of bright light appeared between her cupped palms, golden as the sun and laced with blue sparks that flared outwards to dance between the creation and her own hands. It was small, but more than enough to catch the full and rapt attention of her friends.

"Wow..." Ayane said.

Genki just stared in disbelief. Masumi raised the orb over her head, took a deep breath, and then released it, allowing it to float idly through the room above them. She smiled and pulled out a couple of small bracelets, handing one to each of them. to wear. Genki could hardly fit it on, and stared disdainfully at it after slipping it on.

"This is just a basic flare, it's the first spell I really mastered, and it's supposed to be one of the easiest to draw from. We're going to see if you're ready to master it, okay?"

"Sure, but why the jewelry?" Genki asked.

"Jewel Magic is an ancient and powerful art, Genki. According to this library, my ancestors were masters of it, and they developed a lot of powerful tricks over the years to make use of it. This bracelet should passively draw from any prana your magic circuits produce, generating a stored charge. It's given to beginning apprentices to help them learn how to control their magic circuits and manipulate prana more safely."

He stared deeply at the bracelet, then looked up to Masumi and nodded. "Okay, whatever it takes. Teach us how to use it, please!"

Masumi closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "Okay, where to begin..."


	3. Matou Yuki: -68d, 5h, 22m

**Chapter 02**  
_**Fate/Eternity's Wind: -68d, 5h, 22m  
**_**Nondescript Cemetery, Sendai, Japan**

"So this is the fiend, the affront to God we must fear?"

Yuki held his breath as the voice echoed through the graveyard. The church bells had finally stopped, suggesting they were just past midnight - the supposed time of his proposed meeting. He was sure the message had said to arrive alone, yet here were several men that had shown up ahead of time. They had not seen him, yet the hooded woman who had come to meet him walked straight into their trap. Their garb was unfamiliar to him, but the crosses suggested they were men of the church.

"Three Executors against just myself? This seems unfair. What has the Mage's Association done to earn the ire of the church this time?"

"God passes judgment on those who sin, and you are an unholy spawn of Satan. Though the grail might not be the true incarnation of God's light, the power someone like you could wield through it is unforgivable. Since the Mage's Association has not seen fit to seal you, we must end your life before you taint this Grail War with your presence."

A flash of blades appeared, and the Executors had surrounded her, their faces a grimace of murderous intent. With only slight hesitation they began to close in cautiously, wary of the shadows that seemed to deepen around her. She pivoted, facing each of them in turn, one hand raised defensively. Yuki clasped his hand over his mouth in horror - would they kill him if he interfered? He couldn't allow them to just attack an unarmed woman like this, no matter what happened - it wasn't right.

"Please, turn back and go home," she said softly. "I don't want to hurt you."

One of the Executors made a mad dash at her, hurling several long blades at bullet-like speeds while bringing the other up into a swipe. With deceptive speed she sidestepped both attacks, the very shadows themselves seeming to trip him up and send him tumbling to the ground in a heap. As he picked himself up, the other two charged in to protect her from behind. Yuki's heart pounded in fear; he knew he might die if he tried to fight the church's mage killers, but there was no way he could let this unarmed woman fight alone. Drawing his Azoth dagger, he leapt out over the headstone with a war cry.

"Get away from her!" He yelled and swung the dagger in a wide arc, missing the Executor it was aimed at.

"Is he serious?" One of the Executors grunted, turning to bring his blades to bear against Yuki. "You're going to die for interfering in Church business, boy."

Yuki grinded his teeth, holding the dagger closely in a defensive position. "I can handle death, Executor, if it means I do not stand by and idly watch as a defenceless woman is murdered. You call yourselves men of the church?"

The Executor scowled, then readied his swords. "I've killed a dozen mages, boy, don't think you'll be any different!"

"Look out!" The woman cried.

Yuki saw the attack coming, yet nothing in his body permitted him to move fast enough to avoid it. One of the three blades in the Executor's hand shot out at him at incredible speeds, embedding itself deeply into his arm and severing the bone in one smooth cut. The pain was intense and he screamed out involuntarily, collapsing backwards just in time to avoid a high slash from the remaining two. His Azoth dagger slipped free of his weakened fingers to fall into the grass and he mustered up his prana in defence, drawing on the power of the insects that his family lineage had brought to him. The Executor's next blow was deflected by a sudden rain of the creatures, burrowing out of the very ground to swarm about him distractingly.

Crawling backwards, it was everything Yuki could do to deny the intense pain echoing throughout his body. The Executor was momentarily distracted, but it wouldn't take long for him to overcome the swarm; Yuki reached for his dagger and brought it up with his left hand. He gingerly climbed to his feet and wiped his mouth, looking for the woman to help her.

Another of the Executor's was coming at her in a bloodthirsty charge, but even as his blades swiped through her twice, her body seemed to simply dissipate and reform before his attacks. Yuki watched in awe, and then in horror as he stumbled into the deep shadow left in the wake of her flowing cloak, disappearing into it. The third Executor was nowhere to be seen.

"Begone...vermin!" the distracted Executor cried, before unleashing a burst of prana that obliterated the insects around him in a flash of light.

The blade in Yuki's shoulder dissipated and reformed in the Executor's hand, followed by another three in his other. The now-open wound began to bleed profusely, drenching Yuki's arm in red and leaving him with a woozy feeling in his head. The attack had severed his brachial artery, he probably didn't have long before he passed out with blood loss like this. The Executor was walking towards him purposefully now, a murderous glint in his eye.

"Now you die, Yuki Matou." The Executor hissed.

Yuki's eyes widened, but he raised his Azoth dagger in a vain attempt to defend himself. The Executor's blades raised, and then his own eyes widened in shock. The Church's loyal servant had been lanced through completely by pure shadow, holding his body aloft for a moment. He strained and struggled against the bonds, his eyes bulging in hatred and rage, before he finally fell limp against them, the life fading from his eyes. The shadows disappeared and his body collapsed into the wet grass; his body showed no physical mark nor blood to mark the killing, but his face was twisted into one of pure terror.

Doing his best to look brave, he smiled at the blurry-looking figure of the woman he had fought to save. "Are...you alright ma'am?"

"You idiot..." she frowned. "I didn't plan to kill him, but thanks to you I had no choice."

"What?" he looked hurt. "I just meant to help..."

"You stupid boy, Yuki..." she moved over to him, ripping off the sleeve of her own shirt without a second thought. "Your wound is serious, and I've no form of magic which could heal you. We need to find someone who can fast, or your Grail War will be over before it's started."

He found himself involuntarily leaning into her arm, groaning at the pain in his arm as it slowly became numb. She was busying herself with bandaging him, but he finally got a glimpse of the face hidden beneath that hood. Her long purple hair identified her as a Matou, the sign of the worm crest's power, but her eyes were soft and gentle, carrying none of the harshness of his father or the head of the family, Zouken.

"You came..." he smiled at her as his consciousness began to slip away. "I didn't think I'd get to see you again, after what happened with grandfather."

"Don't talk, Yuki." She told him sternly. "Just stay awake and hold on to me as tight as you can, we're going on a quick trip..."

He nodded and obediently gripped on, surprised at how tight his aunt's grasp was. He caught the faint sound of words being muttered in a western tongue. As he tried to make the strange syllables out, the world collapsed from underneath him, and only the death grip he had on his aunt's arms could save him from the intense prana wrapped around them. A world of pure darkness surrounded them, impeccable shapes and tortured faces peering at them from the dark. Terror consumed him for a brief moment before he blacked out completely.

* * *

_**Fate/Eternity's Wind: -68d, 2h, 17m  
**_**Downtown, Sendai, Japan**

"-he's just a boy after all. Do you really think he can handle this kind of responsibility?" A man said somewhere in the darkness.

"Weren't the Masters of the last Fuyuki war children as well? He's the eldest son of the Matou's cadet branch, I think he's ready for this." A female replied.

"Maybe he's a Matou, but he is not Zouken; nor is he you. Remember what happened to Kariya?"

"Do not speak his name." She snapped.

"I meant no offense, I just mean that-"

"What? You think I will let him be consumed the way Kariya was? You think he will face the same fate? I will not allow it to happen twice, not now."

Yuki groaned, forcing himself to try and sit up, coughing a little. His blurry eyes focussed enough to reveal the warmly lit room, a nondescript apartment living room. Judging by the tower block visible outside the window, they were probably somewhere downtown, though how he had gotten here was anyone's guess.

"Ah, good, the boy's awake. Now it is time to take your leave, before my kindness runs its course. He is, after all, an enemy."

The owner of the male voice was a middle-aged man of western origin - exactly what ethnicity he couldn't tell. He wore a smart white dress shirt and black slacks, and was in the midst of drinking wine from a dark glass. It took Yuki only a moment to recognize the all-too-familiar pattern of a command seal on the back of the man's hand, designating him as a master. Unconsciously, Yuki glanced down at his own hand, seeing only the bandages that hid his own from sight. It had appeared this same day during class, forcing him to make up a flimsy excuse about hurting his hand and go home. He was a master now, meaning he was in the home of an enemy.

"Where am I?"

"A friend's house, Yuki." His aunt, Sakura, smiled at him. "This is Lord Guillaume Aymeric, Professor at the Hall of Mirrors in Paris. He is a powerful member of the Mage's Association and a friend who owes me a favour."

"Owed you a favour. I saved the boy's life, which is already a fair bit more than I ought to have done. In a few days I might end up having to kill him." Lord Aymeric glowered at the boy. "If you want some free advice, boy, don't even bother to summon your servant. Just go to the Church's representative and beg for sanctuary. This is a man's game, and children have no place in it."

Fear rose up Yuki's throat in the form of a tight knot, and he unconsciously scratched at the bandages on his hand. The mage's exuberant confidence filled the room, putting him off with his unwillingness to back down. This new Grail War had been so sudden and unexpected, and yet so powerful an opponent had been chosen and already arrived. How could Yuki win against an experienced magus from one of the most powerful families the world had come to know?

"If my cousin wanted advice, he could always ask." Sakura took one arm around his shoulder and began to lead him out. "Thank you. Consider your debt to me repaid."

"I already do, now get out before I change my mind."

Yuki found himself quickly ushered out of the apartment, blinking in confusion. They descended the stairs of the tower block one flight at a time, taking each step in complete silence. Sendai was about to become a battleground, and he was supposed to compete against the likes of Aymeric for victory? It was a horrific thought. Once they had finally emerged, he found himself being led by Sakura through a back alley. It wasn't the way home, but he wasn't about to question his "aunt". The name was misleading, as Sakura was both his cousin and an adopted member of the family, but her power was unquestionable. Having participated in the Fuyuki Grail War after the defeat and near-death of her brother, Shinji Matou, she had finally unlocked her true potential as a Magus and broken free of their grandfather Zouken's control. Now the sizeable Matou family was split in two between supporters of Zouken and supporters of Sakura. His father had supported Zouken despite (or perhaps because) of his line's weakness and inability to contribute to a Grail War in any meaningful fashion, yet Sakura had endeared herself to Yuki and his sister Kaori and they harboured a great and secret love for their "aunt".

It was only after five minutes' walk that he finally realized his clothes were still torn and bloodied, prompting the first break of silence. "I'm going to have to get a new shirt, this one's ruined."

"Yeah..." she said quietly, lost in her thoughts.

He bit his lip, a little frustrated. "Look, I'm sorry I intervened, okay?"

"It's not your fault, it's what he would have done too..." She sighed and smiled at him.

"He?"

"It doesn't matter. We're in a good place, very close to the major leyline at Tohoku University. It's a dangerous place, I know at least one enemy has made his lair there, but this is one of the best places to craft your summoning circle."

Sakura withdrew a long sword from under her cloak, its sheath long gone. A simple brown cloth wrapping protected it, but it was heavily worn from rust and age alike. She passed it to him and he took it carefully, in awe of the ancient blade. It was heavy despite its apparent frailness, and although he was reasonably tall he would have needed two hands just to hold it in front of him, let alone swing it. Straight-edged and european of make, he had seen similar wielded by Europeans in storybooks and sometimes in various anime or manga he had amused himself with in younger days.

"This relic isn't the most glamorous or exceptional I could have found, but the heart of the warrior it belonged to suits you well. I think it will be the best match you could ask for, little Yuki." She smiled sweetly at him. "This war is yours to fight, not mine, I only came to give you the help you will need to survive it. With a servant at your side, you will become a living weapon, and him a weapon alongside you. Are you prepared to fight?"

"Yes...yes I am." He frowned. "The Grail chose me, I'm not going to back away just because of your friend's scary words."

"I know. You are a Matou, and Zouken expects it of you. I expect something of you too, Yuki; I expect you to survive, and to prove that the Matou have heart."

Yuki looked surprised at the words, but smiled and placed the sword on a dumpster, the closest this deserted alley could provide to an altar. He wasn't surprised to see the faint lines of a summoning circle already etched into the very concrete, ready for his use. He could feel the flow of prana moving around them, powerful in this place and eager to be used. The ritual was ready and the Grail wanted him to begin.

"Thank you, aunt, for your confidence. I will fight to restore the honour of the Matou name, if that is what you wish."

"It is a part of my wish, but I wish you also to fight to make for yourself an honourable name, the Matou legacy be damned."

He nodded to her. "Just one thing...if I may ask, what servant is this relic intended to bring to life? You said there were better relics."

"Better relics maybe, there might be other heroic spirits of greater power, but this is one whose loyalty and courage might match your own; a spirit and a master must fight as one to succeed. Now go, Yuki, and become a great Mage the way I know you can be."

Before Yuki could say anything else, the shadows of Sakura's own cloak seemed to wrap around her and she disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace of her former presence. His mouth was left gaping for a moment as he realized the scope of her power, and wondered why it had chosen a Matou like him and not her. Turning to the summoning circle, he could see that it was already beginning to glow, eager for his calling.

_"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill!_  
_Repeat five times,_  
_But destroy each when filled,_  
_A base of silver and steel!_  
_I hereby propose:_  
_My will shall create thy body,_  
_And thy sword shalt create my fate,_  
_Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,_  
_If thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!_  
_I hereby swear,_  
_I will be all that is good in this world,_  
_I will be the disposer of evil in the world!_  
_Thou, clad with the Great Trinity,_  
_Come forth from the circle of constraint,_  
_Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"_

As the ritual completed, the alleys became awash with the heavenly glow of pure prana, overtaking him and knocking him back with the rush of raw power. Stumbling into a wall, he covered his eyes until the intensity of it faded, leaving him face to face with the successful fruits of his ritual - even if it was technically his aunt's doing.

The servant was tall, at least two heads taller than Yuki, and he wore heavy layers of mail with thick steel plates over them. A huge - no, make that an enormous blade was strapped across his back; his knightly surcoat and cloak flowed behind him in a cascade of red and gold, deep and rich colours that spoke of great wealth and power. From beneath his helmet, a mane of thick brown tussles escaped, and rugged stubble shadowed his square jaw. His face was twisted into a stern glare, but his eyes looked hollow and distant, as if he held back some distant contained pain. Wordlessly, he turned to face his summoner.

Yuki immediately surveyed the warrior before him. His name was unknown, but he was of the Berserker class. His strength was ranked at an impressive A, but his Endurance dropped to B and his Agility was a mere C. Luck and Magic were E, but no Berserker would be expected to rely on those. More interesting to Yuki was his Mad Enhancement ability - it was lowered down to just a ranking of E, offering only a token boost in power with little real detriment, but Yuki sensed automatically that the depth of his new servant's madness could go far beyond this.

"Servant Berserker! I, Matou Yuki, have summoned you for the purpose of fighting this, the First Sendai Holy Grail War. You are to be my champion in battle, to serve me and to be my weapon against our enemies. Once we have defeated them, we shall each partake in a wish to be granted by the Grail's infinite power. Do you accept my contract?"

Berserker stared off into space for a bit, as if not listening. The blue glow of the summoning began to slowly fade, disappearing with the moment.

"Do you accept? Berserker?"

Berserker turned to face him fully, staring into Yuki's eyes. "I accept your contract, Matou Yuki. You are my master, and I am your servant. I shall defend you until my life's end and beyond."


End file.
